EXPLORING NATURE: TIME FOR HUMMERS

Woe is me. After about eight years of having a male

After about eight years of having a male black-chinned hummingbird show up at my place like clockwork on March 17 — this year, nothing showed up.

I still hang out my sugar-water feeder each morning. I make sure to keep the sugar-water mixture fresh. And as of late March, I still have seen no hummingbird.

I know a few folks who have hummingbirds on a year-round basis. It seems just a little unfair that they should get the little flying jewels all the time and I can’t even get a peek at one.

As I said, woe is me.

But don’t let my abysmal failure deter you from hosting hummers at your home. I recommend a multiport feeder with bee guards and one that is easy to take apart for cleaning.

You can also attract hummingbirds by growing plants that provide nectar for their enjoyment — scarlet sage, trumpet vine, bee balm and cardinal flower are all hummingbird magnets.

And don’t forget the proper mixture for sugar-water is one part refined white sugar to four parts water. I usually mix up a batch and zap it for three minutes in my microwave to aid in the mixing. Do not use red food coloring or any sweetener other than refined white sugar.

Hang your feeder in a shady place if possible. I have mine hanging under the house eaves on my back deck.

There are no hummingbirds in Europe; this is strictly a New World bird. We are fortunate to have about 18 species in Texas, ranging from the familiar ruby-throat to the rare Lucifer found in the Big Bend area.

I hope you have better luck than me.